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Index of Stories
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| Educator
explains background of women’s modesty
Anees Ghani, a Muslim educator, offered historical background for the tradition of modesty, and the practice of covering the female form with the loose-fitting, all-covering cloth, the Burgah, also known as a “modesty covering.” To dress in this manner is known as observing “Purdah.” Around 650 A.D., pagan worship was still the custom in Arabian countries, Ghani said. Worshippers would dance and circle around a square called the Ka’aba in a ritual of circumambulation, and would dance and sing naked. The belief was “this is the way we came into the world — this is the way we should pray.” Worshippers followed disparate idols, such as Isis, and the Greek gods who were thought to have superhuman powers. The prophet Mohammed brought a new vision and promulgated the concept of “one God” which was considered radical at the time, according to Ghani. Prior to this, she said, there were codes of behavior for business behavior and for warfare, but there were no codes for personal or sexual behavior. Mohammed offered himself as the chief propagator of morality, and followers of the idols found the one-God theory shocking. At this time, there were three main Jewish tribes in Medina. They spoke the same language, had the same appearance, and dressed the same. The story goes, said Ghani, that one day a woman, a follower of Islam, went into a jewelry shop and a man made advances toward her. As a follower of Mohammed and his moral code, she rejected his advances. The man was incensed, and contrived to play a trick on her wherein he secretly snagged her dress on a portion of the tent and when she left, her dress was pulled from her and she was naked. This caused other men in the shop to get into a fight, and precipitated a riot in which two men were killed. Because of this event, Mohammed made the decision that all women should wear distinctive garb so that it was clear they were Muslim. He decreed that they should dress in a manner which should distinguish them, so all men would know to leave them alone. In the manner of a nun’s habit, the dress proclaimed that the woman was not available and should not be approached. According to Ghani, Mohammed said that women were to be loved, respected and provided for, but adds that the Koran also dictates that women should not display their physical beauty to attract men. Men are, for their part, to keep their eyes cast downward. When Ghani dresses in traditional garb, she gets a reaction from people around her. She feels they are angry or afraid. So she, like many Muslim women in America, chooses to adopt the western style of dress, retaining a modest fashion. |
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Contents »Pakistanis leave their native land to find Lodi |
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